A PETITION calling for improvements to be made to rail services at Kidwelly Railway Station has been handed in to the National Assembly’s Petitions Committee this week.
The petition was started by Kidwelly Town Councillor Phil Thompson earlier this year, and gathered 138 signatures.
Speaking to The Herald back in February, Cllr Thompson said that because rail provision was not in the direct power of the Town Council, he had lodged the petition.
“I have further indicated that as lead petitioner I am happy to attend any Assembly Committee to be questioned and give evidence on the issue,” he added.
“I would also wish to contact the rail unions to make clear the dispute is not with the rail staff and hopefully get their support.”
The petition states: ‘Kidwelly is a lively town in Carmarthenshire, with many tourist attractions, including a quay overlooking the Gwendraeth estuary with rare bird and wildlife, the Kymer canal (Wales’s oldest canal) and an industrial museum.
‘Demographically, Kidwelly has a higher than the Carmarthenshire average proportion with long -term limiting illness and the highest proportion of over 45s according to the Carmarthenshire Policy, Research and Information section 2015 electoral division profile.
‘Additionally, many people commute to work or for social activities outside the town.’
ISSUES:
- The station is a request stop. This causes problems to (a) visitors, tourists and new residents do not always appreciate that they need to signal to get the train to stop. This causes a reluctance to use the station and potentially impacts negatively upon the economy of the town, (b) on trains with no conductor, less ambulant passengers cannot pass down the train to the driver. Many people are worried and distressed that they will go past their stop and anecdotally have done so, (c) there is clearly time programmed into the timetable to allow the train to stop, as this could be requested on every journey, so the request requirement is anachronistic and unnecessary. The station should become a standard stop and not a request stop.
- The platform height on the westbound platform is so low that even with the train’s mobile ramp system, a wheelchair and those with other mobility aids cannot board or alight trains. This renders the provision discriminatory in respect of wheelchair and other less ambulant users.
- The frequency of trains serving Kidwelly is not sufficient to support the community and potential tourist traffic. This limits both social, commercial and tourist journeys, negatively impacting upon the social and economic wellbeing of the community.
The petition has been supported by Nia Griffith MP, and by Labour AM Lee Waters, who was present when the petition was handed over.
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